| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: quoted corresponds with the one concealed in the sack; and if that
shall prove to be so--and it undoubtedly will--this sack of gold
belongs to a fellow-citizen who will henceforth stand before the
nation as the symbol of the special virtue which has made our town
famous throughout the land--Mr. Billson!"
The house had gotten itself all ready to burst into the proper
tornado of applause; but instead of doing it, it seemed stricken
with a paralysis; there was a deep hush for a moment or two, then a
wave of whispered murmurs swept the place--of about this tenor:
"BILLSON! oh, come, this is TOO thin! Twenty dollars to a stranger-
-or ANYBODY--BILLSON! Tell it to the marines!" And now at this
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Touchstone by Edith Wharton: Alexa was a woman of few requirements; but her wishes, even in
trifles, had a definiteness that distinguished them from the fluid
impulses of her kind. He knew that, having once asked for the
book, she would not forget it; and he put aside, as an ineffectual
expedient, his momentary idea of applying for it at the
circulating library and telling her that all the copies were out.
If the book was to be bought it had better be bought at once. He
left his office earlier than usual and turned in at the first
book-shop on his way to the train. The show-window was stacked
with conspicuously lettered volumes. "Margaret Aubyn" flashed
back at him in endless repetition. He plunged into the shop and
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Horse's Tale by Mark Twain: "You can depend upon it."
"I will thank Mongrel for this. He is a very good sort, for a
Mexican Plug. Don't you think he is?"
"It is my opinion of him; and as for his birth, he cannot help
that. We cannot all be reptiles, we cannot all be fossils; we have
to take what comes and be thankful it is no worse. It is the true
philosophy."
"For those others?"
"Stick to the subject, please. Did it turn out that my suspicions
were right?"
"Yes, perfectly right. Mongrel has heard them planning. They are
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